There
are a few things to remember when trekking in the hills of Northern Thailand and visiting
hilltribe villages. To make your visit more enjoyable and for the benefit of the people
visiting after you, here are a few things to remember.

1. Hilltribe people are mostly rather modest, so please don't
wear revealing clothes. Shorts are fine, but not too short. You won't be admired
for wearing just a bikini top, please save it for the beach. For bathing, if private
facilities aren't available women should bathe using a sarong and men should wear shorts.
2. Showing affection for a person in public is not part of hilltribe culture so
please behave modestly.
3. Please ask for permission before you take someone's photo. It's
best to ask your guide about this as he can communicate and make sure it really is OK.
4. If you come across any ceremonies, please don't go to close. Or
if you come across any items that might be of cultural or religious significance please
don't touch. If you are in doubt about this please just ask your guide.
5. In a hilltribe house everything happens at floor level, please don't walk
over or too near to any food placed on the floor. The same goes for people, you
shouldn't step over anyone laying on the ground or even over their legs.
6. It's not necessary to take gifts but if you want to, then the best gifts
are things such as sewing implements or crayon and notepads for the children. Don't take
medicine as this maybe wrongly administered and don't take western clothes as this
encourages people to not wear their traditional attire.
7. When walking through the forest please don't pick the plants,
some of these are endangered species and they all look better left where they are growing.
8. If you are near any fields, please don't tread on crops, there
are always paths around or through the fields. Hilltribes are no different to farmers
worldwide, they don't appreciate tourists flattening the crops in their fields.
9. Please don't leave litter in the villages or along the trails.
You might find that sometimes the villages don't dispose of their litter properly, but
they have only had to deal with things such as plastic bags recently (in the past all
containers were made of leaves). So please don't set a bad example.

We hope that you have an interesting and
enjoyable experience in the hilltribe villages and trekking in the North of Thailand.
Wayfarers Travel takes small private groups to these villages in order to make less
impact. All our guides are experienced and know the villagers very well, they can explain
about the villages, the customs and the people.